The tears of a Demigod
by J J Rowling
Summary: Book one in the Tartarus trilogy. When Piper vanished off the face of the planet, Annabeth, Percy and Jason embark on a quest that takes them from Camp Jupiter to the deadly pit of hell - Tartarus! Can Percy face up once more to Kronus?
1. I start the end with a tantrum!

Annabeth 

Looking out of my bedroom window on the Argo 2, I felt an explosion of happiness in my stomach. Once more would I see Percy Jackson, my boyfriend who had been missing for months. Going on Jason's distant memories, we had decided that we had to search Camp Jupiter immediately. Looking down out of the ship I saw hundreds of Roman warriors armed and ready to kill if needed.

Just our luck to be flying straight towards them!

"Hello," Piper wandered in. "I just want to say that… well…"

"Hi," I interrupted. "What are you doing here?"

It took a few moments for Piper to think up of a good way to put her point without upsetting me. Typical Piper!

"I just want to say… well… what will happen of Percy isn't here?"

I hadn't even begun to think about such a possibility. Percy couldn't be gone! What if he couldn't remember her? What if he had no idea of who he even was?

"NO!" I roared. "THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN!"

Without another word Piper retreated from the room, tears streaming down her face. I felt absolutely ashamed. How could she do that to a fellow demigod? With haste I followed the sensitive daughter of Aphrodite.

"Piper!" I called as she scoured the flying ship.

Jason and Leo were strolling down the same corridor as me. A puzzled look crossed their faces.

"Piper!" I repeated for the millionth time.

"Who is Piper?" Jason questioned. "There is no Piper aboard this ship!"

It had to be a joke. Of course, I didn't find it funny but it had to be a joke.

"Only your girlfriend, Jason!" I decided it was pointless to play along with their childish game. "I upset her a few minutes ago but I am deeply sorry. Just tell me where she is or I'll kick your head in like I do back at camp!"

My two friends just laughed. The laughed harder than they had ever laughed before!

"You are way too old for imaginary friends Annabeth!" Leo joked as himself and Jason carried on their stroll to the captain's quarters to fill up on a roast dinner prepared by Chiron in the enormous kitchen. Who knew a Centaur could cook suck good roasties?

Suddenly, for the first time in months, I completely forgot about Percy. Piper was missing and I was the only person who remembered the Daughter of Aphrodite at all!


	2. I get a warning from a dead boyfriend!

Annabeth

I decided that my next course of action was to scour the entire ship for signs of Piper. She couldn't just be a figment of my imagination! I had known her for months now so she had to be real.

On the other hand, Jason and Leo thought I was loopy (Ok, I might be but they didn't have to point it out!)! They had been best mates with Piper for many months now. Staring down at the floor, I couldn't help but feel like the worst demigod to ever walk the planet!

Why had I acted like that? The last time I had felt like that was when Ares had fought Percy during our search for Zeus's lightening bolt. But Ares couldn't be anywhere near the Argo 2. Eight months ago, all of the gods had retreated to Olympus. Only Hera had decided to take action but the end result was Jason, Thalia, Leo and Piper fighting to save the goddess from certain death.

All in a day's work for the half blood heroes!

Rounding yet another corner, I saw Piper's oak door. Trotting towards it, with his back to me, was Chiron in his 'kiss the cook' apron. From his torso downwards he was a muscular stallion while from the torso upwards he looked like a middle school teacher – which coincidently was what he was posing at when he was trying to get Percy to go to camp.

"Chiron," I called from the other end of the corridor. "Where's Piper?"

Chiron flicked his head around. I gasped at what I saw. There was the face of my ex-boyfriend, Luke, who had betrayed me and assisted Kronus in his rise to power. During the battle for Olympus, Percy had chose to trust Luke who had tried to murder him time and time again. Luke was now dead and Kronus was trapped once more in the pit of impending doom – Tartarus!

"Annabeth" the centaur Luke croaked. "I shall kill Piper in twenty four hours unless you bring to me Percy Jackson. I shall meet you at Tartarus. Good luck…"

Mist twirled around the centaur until it was nothing more than a thin trail of smoke. My face was white as if I had just seen a ghost. Ok, well I had just seen a ghost but that wasn't my point.

It was then that the Argo 2 spun out of control. Piper's room door smacked me in the face, rendering me unconscious…


	3. I almost get crushed by my friends!

**Percy **

I shall start with the ship spinning rapidly towards me out of the sky.

Hazel dived to my left while Frank was snatched out of the way by a Centurion. Like an absolute genius I stood there, waiting to become a human pancake. Around me echoed the distant screams of my campmates.

"Move out of the way Perseus Jackson!" came a shrill voice that sounded like a beautiful melody from the side of me.

For some reason, I obeyed. I scanned my memory to see if I had any memory of the voice. I thought about this for a few seconds before I realised that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, was levitating the ship using her mind. Now I had seen it all.

"Pretty girl," Tyson was now standing, in a trance, next to me.

Now is probably the time to explain that Tyson is my half-brother, a blacksmith and a Cyclops. Yes, a Cyclops.

"Of course she's pretty," I pointed out. "She is the goddess of pretty!"

Aphrodite eased down the flying ship. It's headpiece was that of the bronze dragon that I had revived only a year and a half ago. It pained me to see it was no longer alive.

Within a few seconds of the ship hitting the floor, Annabeth darted out of the ship's doors and straight into me!

"NEVER LEAVE ME AGAIN!" she roared in my face. Boy, did she have bad breath!

Next came two boys who I had never seen before in my life. They where probably Jason and Leo, the boys Tyson had told him about.

"Where is my daughter?" Aphrodite demanded. "Where is my Piper?"

Annabeth had a smug but terrified look on her face. Leo and Jason were, to the humour of many, gobsmacked.

"Lady Aphrodite," Annabeth bowed down to the goddess. "Piper is missing. I am the only person who remembers her!"

The Romans followed Annabeth's lead and bowed.

"What have I missed?" Chiron wandered off the boat. "Steak's ready by the way."

Now it was Annabeth's turn to look petrified. Why was she so scared of our centaur mentor?

"I order a quest," Aphrodite declared. "To find my daughter and find out why only the daughter of Athena can remember her!"

"So I have missed quite a lot then," Chiron worked out.


	4. Highway to hell

**Percy**

Ok, so, almost getting crushed was a bit of a surprise but after the things I've been through – or at least the ones I remember – it wasn't too big. But getting asked to participate in a quest to find a girl who no one can remember was a massive surprise. Anyway, I think I should go back to where I finished.

"A quest?" I gasped. "Me, Hazel and Frank have only just got back!

"So what?" Aphrodite retaliated. "You are just Perseus Jackson, the little, pathetic, water boy!"

Who knew love could be so harsh?

Uncapping my pen, I prepared for battle. But I was too slow. A pink light erupted from her hand, sending me sprawling backwards. My head knocked against the Argo 2.

"Annabeth Chase shall lead this quest!" the Love goddess ordered. "Also I want Jason Grace and Perseus Jackson to save my daughter. If she is dead, I will personally hand you over to Ares. He hasn't swung his hammer at someone's head in at least a minute."

Talk about a cheery goddess!

"We accept," Jason and Annabeth chanted simultaneously.

"We accept?" I was completely and utterly confused.

The curly haired lad who I guessed was Leo pushed his way through the crowds.

"I hate to say this," Leo sighed. "But for a quest they need transport. The Argo 2 needs fixing – it won't be able to fly for at least a month. It has to say here and I shall repair it."

Clicking her fingers, Aphrodite summoned a glossy, black Limo that looked the _perfect_ transport for a tough quest. Jason's eye's lit up at the mere sight of such a beautiful car. I had to admit, it was a beauty. Just its mere shape was beautiful, not to mention the tainted windows.  
>"This is your transport," Aphrodite announced. "By the way, to find Piper you will have to go to Tartarus, the darkest part of the underworld!"<p>

You could have heard a pin drop in that crowed town. We where on a highway to hell!


	5. Our driver is Death!

Jason

Ok, I admit I have seen some weird stuff in my time. I have fought Venti. I have lost my memory. I have survived seeing a goddess in her true form. But the look on Percy Jackson's face when we saw our driver was took the prize.

"Hi," Thantos, the Greek god of death grinned at us. "I guess I owe you guys a favour!"

Around them the air chilled, obviously because of the god's presence. Percy's jaw hit the floor. Annabeth had stopped looking as pale as the phantom of the opera. The only response that they made came out as gobbledegook.

"You," Percy finally muttered under his cold breath. "Should be collecting souls."

"Listen," Thantos retaliated. "I am your driver. You cannot seal the Doors of Death without the seven. One of your own is missing."

As he said this, I began to worry about Piper. She was my girlfriend that I couldn't remember. Hopefully we would find her and stop whoever took her.  
>Just as Annabeth slammed the doors shut, Rachel opened them again. Didn't I mention that the teenage Oracle came with us?<p>

"The gates to hell

Have once more fell.

The half blood of the dove,

Shall fall because of love,

A trickle down one's face,

Shall put the lord in his true place."

Once more our Oracle fainted. She tends to do that a lot!

"Well, glad that's cleared up," Percy joked. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Well technically we don't drive on the road," Thantos pointed out.

The glossy, stretch limousine took off into the sky, leaving Camp Jupiter, the goddess of love and the Argo 2 behind. Yes, Thantos did forget to tell us his limo could fly!


	6. We are attacked by nasty wind! PHEW!

Jason

I am the son of the sky god. Flying is sound. But a flying limo is not.

"Slow down!" I screamed. "We might crash into an aeroplane!"

Percy's head had lolled back, showing the clear signs of unconsciousness. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to take the son of Poseidon into the upper atmosphere. Annabeth just stared at Thantos. He had suddenly taken the form of one of those Hollywood action celebs. What was his name? Oh, it's escaped me!

Anyway, we weren't having a peaceful trip even before the Venti attacked.

Ok, in my time as a member of the seven, II have made some enemies. Ma Gasket and King Midas of the gold touch. But the enemies that hate me the most are Venti – storm spirits I suppose you could call them.

Bad news: they came in their horse form – much more deadly, but less handsome, than their humanoid form. With Percy unconscious and Annabeth in a trance it was up to me to fight them off. Or so I thought.

"Take the wheel Grace," Thantos ordered as he rolled down his window. "I'm going out!"

The god kept to his word. If I hadn't snatched the wheel the second Thantos left, we would have fell down to our deaths. We might have killed a few mortals as well.

"For Olympus," Thantos boomed.

Diving from the car, Thantos managed to take the two Venti with him to his grave. Can an immortal god die? I must look that up some time.

Suddenly the limo was knocked over on its left flank. More of the storm spirits had arrived to avenge their brethren's death. Annabeth was beginning to stir now that the beauty dead god. Percy snapped out of his unconscious state.

"We are travelling over water!" he realised. He must have some sort of connection with the water or something because not even I had realised that. Then I remembered he was the son of Neptune… sorry, Poseidon for all you Greeks.

It was then it dawned on me that Percy would be able to channel the water, knocking down our opponents. Percy seemed to be able to read minds (Can a son of Neptune do that? Can a son of Poseidon do that?). He unclipped his seatbelt before following suit what Thantos had done. Except without the falling part. Plus he summoned water. Also he isn't a god. But at least he was climbing out of the window.

"Hurry seaweed brain!" Annabeth had finally snapped out of her trance. Remind to never accept a ride from a god that attracts girls like a magnet.

Behind me the water churned. Within a few seconds a wake had soared up into the air, washing away the Venti. Within a few seconds, the Venti where no more.

Then I did a heroic thing by fainting!


End file.
